Looking for brilliant books about bikes to take to the beach? Here’s some suitable suggestions, from touring tales in the Canadian wilderness to MV Agusta’s grand prix racing history, to a fictional roadtrip through the landscape of life…
Regular RC readers will be familiar with Nick Adam’s high-mileage meanderings on various old bikes, typically his classic Moto Guzzis. Nick’s now written 11 books about his motorcycle travels, plus some excellent slightly spooky fiction, too.
Nick’s latest book is titled ‘Riding around on the Breeze.’ It contains a detailed account of his recent excursion aboard a Honda Aspencade, a bike with more than 125,000 miles on its clock. This trip covered 2600 miles in six days, and it’s just one of several forays into the wilds on two wheels you’ll find in this volume. The subtitle says it all: road tales of a perpetual optimist.
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Nick explains his motivation: ‘There is a fine line between optimism and stupidity. Sometimes I wonder whether I cross that line too often. But what is life without a little risk? It’s too easy to sit back and avoid all jeopardy and discomfort, and I suppose that’s all right as long as you’re comfortable with a life without spice. Life is short enough without wasting it on the couch!’
Available at Amazon as paperback and ebooks, you can also listen to Nick reading his own words as audiobooks on Audible: it’s almost like riding pillion!
‘MV Agusta: Moto GP’ is filled with many photographs which have never previously been published, wonderfully illustrating the text by Alan Cathcart. He tells the glorious story of MV Agusta’s Moto GP legacy, and the exceptional riders who brought these machines to life, from John Surtees and Mike Hailwood to Giacomo Agostini.
Cathcart unveils the behind-the-scenes story of MV patriarch Count Domenico Agusta and his riders, and lets us to listen to Giacomo Agostini recounting his life on two wheels racing for the Count. We also go trackside to experience the author’s personal experience of riding such iconic motorcycles. Besides MV’s failed attempt at producing a Formula 750 racer to equal Ducati’s desmo V-twins, this book also offers a rare glimpse behind the fairings of MV Agusta’s 350 and 500 world champions, in both three-cylinder and four-cylinder configurations, with countless photos revealing the technical marvels of these legendary machines.
Available only as a limited, individually numbered edition of just 1000 copies, the 168-page hardback includes both English and Italian text. It costs €55 plus delivery from motoitaliane.it
And finally a thoughtful story which explores the call of the open road (and an awful lot more). After years spent anchored in routine, Graham finds himself adrift following the death of his father and the unravelling of a life he never meant to build. With only an old Norton motorcycle, a half-finished map drawn by a lost friend, and a heart full of unasked questions, he sets out on a meandering journey across Britain.
Part road novel, part quiet reckoning, ‘Keep Your Compass Weird’ is a soulful exploration of grief, friendship and forgiveness, and why – for some of us – riding motorcycle provides an answer. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most important journeys aren’t the ones that chase destinations, but are instead the ones that help us come home to ourselves. It’s a love letter to lost maps, late starts, and the enduring hum of old engines.
Written by our old friend Paul Grace, the paperback is £9.95 and you’ll find it at Lulu: https://tinyurl.com/vy3hjp9e
